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Paper short abstract

This research examines the 'shrinking humanitarian space' in Cameroon’s Anglophone conflict through the 2021 MSF suspension, showing how contested neutrality, historical distrust, and state security concerns converge, and argues for context-specific, decolonised humanitarian frameworks.

Paper long abstract

This paper examines the ‘shrinking humanitarian space’ in Cameroon’ Anglophone Conflict through the lens of the 2021 Doctor Without Borders (DWB) suspension by engaging with literature on contested neutrality (Fiona, 2000; Brauman, 2000) and State-INGO tensions (authoritarianism) (Walton 2015; Cunningham and Healy, 2025). The paper focuses primarily on Cameroon as a critical study although drawing parallels to contexts like Greece and Chad. Through document analysis of reports from DWB, personal field experience and statements from the government of Cameroon, the paper identifies three key drivers of humanitarian restriction which are; conflicting interpretations of neutrality, overlooked impact of historical relationship between the west and the global south and territorial integrity-focused security policies. The paper builds on and advances existing literature by exposing how these factors converge uniquely in Cameroon, while questioning the selective use of labels like ‘authoritarian regimes’. The paper proposes context-specific solutions such as the need to recalibrate the neutrality principle, decolonization of aid governance through prioritization on local inclusion. The paper offers pathways to preserving humanitarian access without sweeping aside legitmate concerns of the state.